If Mike Pence is the future of the Republican Party, Democrats can get comfortable for a while. The Indianapolis Star editorial board recently opined that the Republican Party needs more folks like Mike Pence if the Republicans are to find their way out of the woods. If you’re interested in their take, have a read: http://www.indystar.com/article/20081122/OPINION08/811220378/1291/OPINION08.
Frankly, if Mike Pence is the solution for Republicans, then they’d be better off cozying up with the Log Cabin Republicans (http://online.logcabin.org/) than trying to find their way out of the woods. Sure, Pence claims to be a fiscal conservative, but he cut his teeth as a right-wing radio
shock-jock before winning his seat in Congress in 2000, in a district that hardly represents mainstream, moderate America, and he’s practically been a cheerleader for the entire Bush agenda, which has been anything but fiscally conservative.
Pence describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” Not surprisingly, he has been as right-wing in Congress as he was on the air. He’s anti-choice, opposes stem cell research, voted with George Bush over 90% of the time, and supported "Operation Offset" to counterbalance hurricane Katrina recovery spending (nothing better than a Midwestern Republican to understand how to cleanup from a hurricane – I can see Pence in his backyard with an umbrella during a rainstorm saying, “What’s the big deal?” Dan Burton would be proud!)
What Republicans should learn from the ass-whipping they took on November 4, 2008, is that Americans have had enough “family values” and “fiscal conservatism” to last a lifetime. Americans decided that their government should be in the business of looking out for them, not in the business of telling them what to believe or who has a monopoly on morality. Americans decided that social tolerance (except for tolerating gays, but I’ve already covered that) should be combined with economic restraint, and that our tax system should not be based upon a premise that as long as the super-wealthy are OK, the rest of us will be able to survive on their crumbs. And they firmly decided that America should not be in the business of Preemptive War.
Pence and his ilk believe that the Republicans lost because they strayed from “God, Guns and Old Glory (the flag, for those who are already confused)” and debased themselves by discussing actual issues that matter to average Americans. The conservative wing of the Republican Party has long lived by the many wedge issues that divide Americans: abortion, flag burning, homosexuality, race, ethnicity, etc. If they have their way, our government will turn away from pressing issues like the economy, healthcare, and America’s standing in the world. You know … those issues that voters clearly indicated that they wanted addressed.
Of course, as a Democrat, all I can say is that I HOPE the Republican Party shifts to the right as a result of the election of 2008, where Pence and his buddies want to take it. There’s another election coming up in 2010, and I would sure love to see an even LARGER majority to press forward the Progressive agenda.
Pence describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” Not surprisingly, he has been as right-wing in Congress as he was on the air. He’s anti-choice, opposes stem cell research, voted with George Bush over 90% of the time, and supported "Operation Offset" to counterbalance hurricane Katrina recovery spending (nothing better than a Midwestern Republican to understand how to cleanup from a hurricane – I can see Pence in his backyard with an umbrella during a rainstorm saying, “What’s the big deal?” Dan Burton would be proud!)
What Republicans should learn from the ass-whipping they took on November 4, 2008, is that Americans have had enough “family values” and “fiscal conservatism” to last a lifetime. Americans decided that their government should be in the business of looking out for them, not in the business of telling them what to believe or who has a monopoly on morality. Americans decided that social tolerance (except for tolerating gays, but I’ve already covered that) should be combined with economic restraint, and that our tax system should not be based upon a premise that as long as the super-wealthy are OK, the rest of us will be able to survive on their crumbs. And they firmly decided that America should not be in the business of Preemptive War.
Pence and his ilk believe that the Republicans lost because they strayed from “God, Guns and Old Glory (the flag, for those who are already confused)” and debased themselves by discussing actual issues that matter to average Americans. The conservative wing of the Republican Party has long lived by the many wedge issues that divide Americans: abortion, flag burning, homosexuality, race, ethnicity, etc. If they have their way, our government will turn away from pressing issues like the economy, healthcare, and America’s standing in the world. You know … those issues that voters clearly indicated that they wanted addressed.
Of course, as a Democrat, all I can say is that I HOPE the Republican Party shifts to the right as a result of the election of 2008, where Pence and his buddies want to take it. There’s another election coming up in 2010, and I would sure love to see an even LARGER majority to press forward the Progressive agenda.
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